Giving Is Key To Sustained Happiness, Study Reveals

Researchers at the University of Chicago Booth Business School in synergy with those of Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, say giver’s happiness is key to sustained happiness.

According to the research, “the happiness we feel after a particular event or activity diminishes each time we experience that event, a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation. But giving to others may be the exception to this rule”.

The study which featured 502 participants who were all made to play 10 rounds of word puzzle game and thereafter, noted that the people either keep what they make for themselves or donate same to charity.

It revealed that the participants who gave their winnings away experienced a far lesser and slower decline in happiness than was the case with those who kept theirs for themselves.

“If you want to sustain happiness over time, past research tells us that we need to take a break from what we’re currently consuming and experience something new,” said Ed O’Brien, the study’s co-author.

“Our research reveals that repeated giving, even in identical ways to identical others, may continue to feel relatively fresh and relatively pleasurable the more that we do it.”